1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input assisting apparatus that is detachably provided to an electronic apparatus including a touch sensor panel and the electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, electronic apparatuses such as cellular phones and portable audio-visual apparatuses each including a touch sensor panel that detects positional information designated by a finger or the like of a user and generates input data from the user in accordance with the positional information have been provided. The user carries out an input operation by pressing an input area of the touch sensor panel. The input area of the touch sensor panel does not have irregularities like normal button-type operation keys, and therefore the user cannot obtain a natural operational feeling that is obtained when the user operates button-type operation keys.
In this regard, an input assisting apparatus for assisting the input operation made by the user with respect to the input area of the touch sensor panel is proposed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-117721 (paragraphs [0007] to [0009], FIG. 2); hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1). According to Patent Document 1, a thin plate-like input assisting apparatus having an opening portion corresponding to an input area is installed on a surface of a touch sensor panel. A user presses the input area of the touch sensor panel that is exposed from the opening portion of the input assisting apparatus by a finger or the like and carries out an input operation. In the input operation, the user can tactually distinguish the input area of the touch sensor panel that is exposed from the opening portion from a surface of the input assisting apparatus, with the result that operability is improved.